The weekend is here once again, and I'm getting it started by focusing on two of the game's best who will toe the slab today.
First, we head to Detroit, where the Tigers may be generating a lot of wind against a starter who's beaten the best thus far this season.
Then we head to San Francisco to cap off the night, as a future Hall of Famer will make his return and an old divisional rival is less than thrilled about facing him.
Our Action Labs Props Tool grades each prop on a scale from 1-10, and I'll be sure to include the grade for each of my betting recommendations in my discussions below.
Kevin Gausman Over/ Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-150/+110)
| Toronto Blue Jays @ Detroit Tigers | |
| First Pitch | 4:10 p.m. ET |
| Best Line: Blue Jays -255 | DraftKings |
Kevin Gausman has cemented himself amongst the game's elite starting pitchers this season. He enters with a sparkling 2.78 ERA and 73 punch-outs in 64 innings of work.
What's even more impressive is that his numbers have come in a string of starts against some of the best teams in the league.
So, what do all of these good teams have in common? They do not strike out often, yet Gausman has made some of the most fierce lineups whiff continuously.
Today, he'll finally face one of the weaker lineups in the American League, as he's set to face the Detroit Tigers. Detroit is a team with a mix of young raw talent and some savvy veterans, but that combination has not helped it put the bat on the ball.
The Tigers enter this matchup with the sixth-highest strikeout rate against right-handed pitching in the majors.
Despite Gausman's plus matchup here, his strikeout total remains similar to what it was in tougher matchups. He's gone over this total in six of his 11 starts this year and has the potential to blow past it again today.
Pick: Gausman Over 5.5 Strikeouts
Action Labs Grade: 8/10
Brandon Crawford Over/Under 0.5 Hits (-165/+120)
| LA Dodgers @ SF Giants | |
| First Pitch | 7:15 p.m. ET |
| Best Line: Dodgers -190 | DraftKings |
The greatest left-handed pitcher of our generation makes his highly-anticipated return from injury this evening. While baseball fans around the league rejoice, there is one Giants hitter who could not be less excited about Clayton Kershaw's return.
Having spent both of their careers as division rivals, Brandon Crawford and Kershaw have seen a lot of each other over the years.
It should come as no surprise that Kershaw has dominated these past lefty-on-lefty meetings. Crawford is just 6-for-48 in his career against Kershaw, and all the hits have been weak singles, as his average exit velocity is just 84.8 mph.
Clayton was off to an incredible start before a pelvis injury put a halt to his season after just five stars. In those five starts, Kershaw allowed just 19 hits in 23 innings of work and was in the top 25 percent of the league in Average Exit Velocity and Hard Hit Rate.
On the other hand, Crawford has struggled mightily this season, as he enters with a .224 average and is in the bottom 20 percent of the league in Average Exit Velocity and Expected Batting Average.
If Kershaw can regain some of his pre-injury form, Crawford will be in for another quiet night.
Pick: Under 0.5 hits +120
